Watsonvillepolice, Monterey Countysheriff’s deputies and witnesses from here to Greenfield sighted a weird cigar-shaped object rushing through the sky about 5 a.m. Friday, throwing sparks as it made a leisurely 10 milecircle of the area.

First report of the saucer came at 5:10 a.m. when deputy sheriff’s in two cars sighted it over the city of Monterey.

Deputies Al Bolman and Jim Mattney were patrolling in one car and reported it first. A few minutes later Lieut. Thomas Martin and deputy Ed Atkinson, also in the area spotted it.

Watsonvillepolice George Brautovich and Jesse Ojeda told officers who relieved them they saw ‘something like a ball of fire’ and watched it fade away.

‘At first we thought it was an airplane on fire,’ the deputies reported. ‘But it was throwing sparks and flame from both ends, cruising along apparently under control at about 1,000 feet.’ They estimated its speed at more than 700 miles per hour.

The craft swung in a wide arc over Monterey Bayand then headed for Fort Ord.

Military police were alerted at the fort, but personnel were unable to pick the saucer up on radar, they reported.

After leaving the Fort Ordarea the saucer was seen cruising along the west side of the Gabilan range of mountains. At 5:24 a.m. Greenfieldpolice reported that officers and citizens in that area had spotted the flying machine.

It was last seen shortly thereafter dropping below Johnson’s Canyon east of Gonzales.

At the naval air station at Monterey, Lt. Comdr. Paul McGinnis said a telephone call from the Register-Pajaronian was ‘the first I’ve heard of the aircraft.’

Comdr. McGinnis said that ‘considering the large number of military airfields in the area it is very possible that a large jet plane was in the area.’

The defense command would not say whether any unscheduled aircraft were authorized to fly over the Monterey-Fort Ord area at that hour.”